Computer networks are widely used to connect multiple computer systems together for communicating and sharing information. Computer networks can also be used to implement multi-user applications that allow multiple users to share in the operation of a computer program. Common examples are video and teleconferencing applications, online multiplayer games which allow multiple users to play a game with one another and online chat environments. A problem common to all such multi-user network applications is providing an efficient way to bring together groups of users to join in the running of a multi-user application. Today, the known solutions deal only with the users requirements such as which other people they wish to be matched with. These solutions provide little more than manual methods for the users to select the other users that they wish to be matched with. This is workable only when there are reasonable numbers of users in the pool of all users. It becomes unworkable when there are large numbers of users and when the application has special requirements for network performance or capabilities of the client and/or server computer systems used to implement the application.
Networked applications for multiple clients exist in three forms. Peer-to-peer applications are executed by multiple client computers with no server or servers required. All communication traffic during the execution of the application is directed between the clients. Other multiple client networked applications use a single server system. The server may execute some portion of the application that is to be shared by all of the clients while the remainder of the application is executed on the clients. The server can also act as a communications collection point. Some or all of the communication traffic is between each of the clients and the server. The clients may additionally communicate with one another as needed. Finally, multiple servers may be used in a multiple client application. Similar to the case of a single server, a portion of the application may be executed on the servers. The multiple servers can also provide communications collection points for the clients.